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Redbird Skyport's unique offer to sell avgas at $1 a gallon for the month of October already has drawn almost 500 takers, company spokesman Josh Harnagel told AVweb on Tuesday. "We've been a little busier than even we expected," Harnagel said. Every pilot who flies in to the field at San Marcos, Texas, is asked to complete a brief survey, conducted by a Redbird employee and recorded on an iPad. "We ask a lot of questions about pilot perceptions, such as, how much does the pilot think is the markup on gas for the FBO," says Harnagel. "It they think there's a 100 percent markup, for example, that affects where the pilot might choose to go to buy fuel." Most of the participants so far are aircraft owners, and most have a lot of flying experience, with about 90 percent of the pilots instrument-rated and a lot of ATPs, he said. About 30 percent so far have flown in more than once.

Some pilots have flown in from distant parts of the country and are staying for a while to explore the area, he said. "The pilots have been great, they're not taking advantage," said Harnagel. "It's been a very positive experience so far." Pilots who return more than two or three times are asked to take a second follow-up survey, to find out how the cheap fuel has affected their flying. More questions might be added as the month goes on and the results are analyzed, Harnagel said. He added that he doesn't yet have a total gallon figure for sales, "But it's a lot … a lot more than we normally sell in a month."